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Our experience at Dornoch Station was unfortunately more negative than positive. This accomodation has the potential to be an absolutely amazing hotel however there were many things that let the hotel down. Positives of our experience include the beautiful refurbishment of the hotel and it being overall stunning inside. The rooms were comfortable. The staff were very very friendly. And the location was superb. This is where the positives end. The service at Dornoch station is not at all a 5 star experience. If I was staying at a roadside inn I wouldn’t be complaining - but for the 5 star price you have a minimum standard you expect. The rooms were comfortable however not a full turn down service. There was no laundry service available due to it being over a Hogmanay which we were not informed of which was disappointing, despite having laundry bags and forms still in the rooms. Unfortunately despite it being Hogmanay (NYE) there was NO beer on tap, and no cold drinks stocked in the fridge. We were served a hot bottle of champagne, when we asked for a cold bottle we were told there wasn’t any… So we instead ordered bottles of beer which we thought we would be safe, however unfortunately no cold beer either… Could not believe there were no cold drinks on NYE! Out of all nights. On the first night I ordered a cocktail off the menu however it appeared the bar tender made a cocktail without majority of the listed ingredients. It appeared the staff were not trained in hospitality which is not their fault that they haven’t been provided the training, there was a lack of attention to detail - never clearing dirty dishes or glasses from tables, no removing first dishes from bedrooms ect The set dinner menu which was £100 per person was very very average, as the night went on it appeared the dishes began to change, my father ordered the pork for starter however as the night went on it began to be served with bread and then salad of which my father got none. Breakfast was a bit the same, continental breakfast on offer however no attention to detail - often no plates or bowels to use to serve, had to ask multiple times before they were brought out due to staff continuously forgetting. This was a common theme - often needing to ask an average of four times before anything gets brought to you, I.e asking for water for the table, finally came after 1 hour, in which they brought no water glasses to be able to drink it. Again I want to reiterate that we feel this was not the staff’s fault but they were let down by their lack in training and leadership. No apparent management team in sight. The communal toilets in the lobby had a leaking toilet that was leaking the entire stay onto the floor into the main bathroom so there was always a puddle. Dornoch station had one fireplace however was rarely lit, one night we lit the fire ourselves (it’s snowing outside) so a warm fire should be a priority. Despite it being Hogmanay Dornoch Station wasn’t very b

On arrival hotel looked run down. Rooms up uneven stairs so definitely not suitable for infirm. Bed linen was clean. Mould growing on flimsy widows and also in the shower cubicle. Tv in room which worked fine. Dinner was awful. Being on the coast I ordered fish and chips. When it arrived my initial thought was either the oil was dirty or it had been overcooked. However when I cut into the batter it was thick and uncooked to the point I had to send it back. When the second attempt arrived it was no better. I scraped the batter off as didn’t want to go for a third attempt. The fish was tasteless and the chips looked like they had been reheated. Breakfast was plentiful but greasy.

We stayed for 2 nights in Brora at the Sutherland Inn. We chose to eat both nights and on both nights the food was good, especially the Chicken and Chorizo Tagliatelle, however the chilli was pretty tasteless on our first night. Our room was ok, bit on the dark side and no heating in the toilet but a very comfy bed. We enjoyed drinks in the bar and the atmosphere was good. So why only a 2, customer service was poor. When we checked in we confirmed we had diner booked for 8, we were told we could bring the time forward the we were told we couldn't the the waiter came yo us at 6:45 to say our table was ready which suited us fine but we then had to wait 45 for food. Twice during the evening the waitress on duty approached the barman and interrupted him while he was dealing with me. On our arrival at the hotel on our first night we had agreed with the barman that we would have breakfast at 9, this was confirmed later in the evening and put on our booking slip. Next morning we arrive downstairs for breakfast at 8:58 to be told by the waitress breakfast was finished , she then went to fetch the owner, he arrived a few minutes later and pointed out that it was now after 9 so breakfast was over, we explained what had been agreed with the barman and the owners only solution was to offer to phone his wife who was at that time opening another business so we left. Next day however ourselves and two other guests we served our breakfasts after well after 9, so why we couldn't have had breakfast the previous day has not yet been explained. Won't be back.

We stayed as 2 couples, for 2 nights D B&B, and enjoyed our stay very much. It was part of a longer trip round Scotland, but this hotel was one of the best we stayed in. Pleasant and friendly staff, good sized rooms, comfy beds and very nice food.